


‘Til My Heart Stops Beating

by Anonymous



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Minor Character Death, only mentioned though it’s nothing specific
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28527135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: At the young age of five, Hinata Shouyou doesn’t really understand how big the world is, or the distance that sets the Earth and the moon apart; he doesn’t know what it means when the moon changes faces, and is unaware of how it orbits around him even when he’s standing perfectly still. What he knows, however, is that the moon is his favorite thing to stare at; even when it’s almost gone, when the sky is so dark it looks as if there’s nothing there, he knows it is there.He prefers when it’s like this, though - so big and bright it almost feels like it should replace the sun altogether.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19
Collections: Kagehina Exchange





	1. Astronaut

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dayoldcupcake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dayoldcupcake/gifts).



> At last, it is here!  
> A story fuelled by some fluffy little prompts from dayoldcupcake which, honestly, were so cute I kind of ended up merging two of them? Oops.  
> I’m really excited that I get to share this with the world, and that I got to participate in the kagehina exchange!  
> There’s a playlist comprised of all the songs that carried me through this story, (all of them by Joe Brooks, because he’s great) that I'll put together once this is public! Till then, here's the title track -- [over here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbRopWBOgLM%22) (Would’ve done it on spotify but it keeps adding random songs to it.) I’ll also be putting links to specific songs that were actually mentioned in-fic.  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated, hope it’s as fun for you to read as it was for me to write!

It’s late. Way past the time he should be asleep, surrounded by one too many pillows and his favorite stuffed animal, but he’s still awake. His eyes are wide in wondrous curiosity as he stares out the window, his small face illuminated by the brightness of the full moon outside. There’s barely any stars in the sky tonight, the young child notices, or maybe they’re just obscured by the brightness of the big moon facing his house; he doesn’t really miss them, anyway.

At the young age of five, Hinata Shouyou doesn’t really understand how big the world is, or the distance that sets the Earth and the moon apart; he doesn’t know what it means when the moon changes faces, and is unaware of how it orbits around him even when he’s standing perfectly still. What he knows, however, is that the moon is his favorite thing to stare at; even when it’s almost gone, when the sky is so dark it looks as if there’s nothing there, he knows it is there.

He prefers when it’s like this, though - so big and bright it almost feels like it should replace the sun altogether.

Downstairs, he can hear the sounds of a couple giggling and music softly wadding through the floorboards, and he imagines his mother with her permanent kind smile swinging from side to side inside strong arms that protect her and care for her more than Shouyou realizes; he imagines his father smiling too, and he can almost see them dancing together with soft gazes and gentle hands, twirling around the living room as if it was made to be danced in. He imagines his baby sister, barely three months old, sleeping soundly in her crib, gurgling as she wakes yet again to find their mother’s hands reaching for her already, ready to comfort her and lull her back into a dreamless sleep.

The door to his bedroom creaks open, just enough for a head to peek through, and Shouyou finally turns away from the big, beautiful moon outside, to look at the kind expression looking back at him. The face greeting him is soft, the steely blue eyes that look back at him framed by black-framed glasses, a slight upturn to the man’s lips. He looks nothing like Shouyou or his sister, his hair black as the sky outside instead of bright orange like the sunset that washes over them most days, but he’s family.

Maybe not by blood, but still.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Keiji asks, voice low in a kind whisper. Shouyou pouts ever so slightly, but climbs down from the small chest below his window, where he’d climbed to stare at the night sky. “You’ve got an early morning tomorrow, Shou,” the man continues, pushing into the room calmly and heading towards the bed the child’s supposed to be in, pulling back the covers. “It’s your first day of school, you’ll need all the energy you can get so you can play with your new friends.”

“What if they don’t like me?” The five-year-old whines his question as he bounces his way over to bed, allowing the older man to tuck him in comfortably, the covers pulled tight around his small frame. “I wanna stay home with you,” he continues, his bottom lip jutted out as he takes his arms from underneath the duvet, stretching his hands out until Keiji’s face is within reach, his palms meeting the older’s cheeks as he holds him.

“If they don’t like you, someone else will,” Keiji whispers in reply, his smile widening as the small child holds his face gently, a habit he’s picked up from his husband, who constantly does it to Shouyou whenever he tells him he’s loved. He gazes at the glistening in the child’s eyes and his heart aches; he knows why Shouyou is so clingy, can’t fault him for it, but he wishes he could take it all away. “Don’t worry, munchkin, uncle Kou and I will be with you in the morning, and we’ll pick you up as soon as school’s over.”

The small hands drop to the covers once Shouyou realizes there’s no way he can stay home with his uncles, instead of going to school, and he looks towards the window again. He wonders, for a moment, if his mother and father can see the moon where they are now; he thinks they’d like it.

“Mama and papa will be with me, right?” The child asks quietly, and Akaashi Keiji, his uncle by virtue of marrying Shouyou’s uncle Bokuto Koutarou, feels his heart break a little further, but nods only, not letting it show. “If they’re there, it’s okay,” Shouyou continues, voice quieter as sleep begins to overtake him.

Keiji leans down to place a small kiss on the boy’s puffy cheek and brush some hair away from his forehead. He stays close for a few moments longer, making sure Shouyou is sound asleep before he moves away from the bed calmly, stopping only to look at a picture hanging beside the window, the faces of the Hinata family smiling back at him; he can’t help but smile back, despite the painful jab in his chest at the thought he’ll never see some of those smiles ever again, and then slips away from the child’s bedroom, and into the arms of his lover across the hall.

When morning comes, Shouyou’s awakened by his uncle, golden eyes that almost match his own smiling down at him in excitement. It seems to rub off slightly, and before long the five-year-old is dressed, fed and ready to start his new adventure at school. His hair is puffed up, as if he’s a baby chick who’s quickly bouncing from one point to the other, trying to stretch its wings; he’s wearing his favorite shirt, which features an owl he swears looks too much like uncle Bokuto, and a pair of pants that Keiji knows will be ruined beyond belief once it’s time to pick him up. With the child’s three-month-hold baby sister gently strapped to Koutarou’s chest, he takes Shouyou’s left hand as Akaashi takes his right one, and they begin their trek towards the school they’ve signed him into.

It’s just a pre-school, something to occupy Shouyou’s days while the couple are too busy working or making sure his baby sister isn’t screaming her head off, as babies do, but they know it was the right decision; they could’ve waited a little longer, maybe, and given Shouyou a little more time to adjust to his parents being gone, and having to live in a new place with his uncles, but the child had always, ever since he was too young to realize it, been very active. Sure, the first days after the move he’d been quieter than usual, but Akaashi had noticed how restless he was becoming; school would be good for him.

As they reach the school, they never let go of his hands as they walk inside, the sounds of other children echoing through the walls. Keiji looks down at his nephew, chuckling softly to himself when he feels the child tug at his hand to walk faster, despite his objection to coming here, the night before. He acquiesces to the silent request and picks up the pace, knowing that his husband will also do it, and soon they’re inside a large room, where some other children are already playing.

“Oh, you must be the Hinatas!” The voice is kind, but both Keiji and Koutarou flinch slightly at the words.

“Actually, it’s-.”

“I am!” The young child sounds proud as he interrupts whatever Bokuto was about to say, and Keiji can’t find it in himself to scold him. Instead, he squeezes Shouyou’s hand in his very softly, reminding him he’s not alone. “My name’s Hinata Shouyou! These are my uncles Kou and ‘Kashi!”

“Ah, is that so?” The man who’s addressed them crouches down until he’s at eye level with the ginger child, a smile on his lips. “I’m Suga, and I’ll be your teacher here,” he introduces himself, reaching a hand out for the child to hold, as if he’s conscious enough to know his manners. “It’s lovely to meet you, Shouyou.”

Young Shouyou looks up at his uncles before letting go of their hands, and instead of holding Suga’s outstretched one, he reaches for his face instead, a smile on his lips as he cups it gently, his skin warm against the teacher’s. There’s a gentle glow from his palms as he pours his trust into the man, and Suga has to fight back a gasp at the sensation as he glances up at one of Shouyou’s uncles, before looking at the child once more.

“You’re very nice, Suga-senpai,” the child states, no room for denial, and then drops his hands, seemingly satisfied with his greeting. He goes to reach for his uncles’ hands once more, but spots a volleyball in the corner and gasps loudly. “Look! Uncle Kou, they’ve got a volleyball like the one you play!”

“Oh, so they do, chibi-chan! Let’s go check it out!” Bokuto seems just as excited at the discovery as his nephew, and he takes the small hand he’s offered in his as he’s led towards the ball.

This leaves Akaashi looking at them lovingly, and Suga staring at him, allowing him a moment to burn the image of his husband and their adoptive children sitting on the carpeted floor, rolling the ball back and forth even though it’s meant to be flying above their heads, into his memory. He turns to the teacher when he feels safe in the knowledge that they’re not going to cause a ruckus, although he wouldn’t put it past Bokuto, with his much too loud energy, and holds his gaze.

“He’s got a lot of energy already,” Suga says straight away, subconsciously lifting a hand to one of his cheeks, the prickly sensation of Shouyou’s magic still there. “Are his parents magicians as well?”

“His mother was,” Akaashi replies, and the sad note in his voice seems to be enough for Suga to understand the situation. “My husband has some magic as well, but nowhere near Shouyou’s potential, even though they’ve got the same blood,” he continues, glancing once again at the man he’s been in love with for over ten years, already. “Just enough to keep us young until we can let them grow on their own,” he admits, the spell Bokuto performed when they learned of his sister’s passing, and that they’d be taking her two children in, still fresh on his mind.

“I understand,” Suga says, and Akaashi turns to look at the man once more. His silver hair reflects the sun that shines into the room through the window as the teacher opens his palm and then something flickers above it, becoming a small sunflower keychain, which he holds out to Akaashi with a smile. “I’ll do my very best to nurture his magic and allow him to grow up strong and-.”

“Stupid!”

The insult is loud and whiny, and both men turn their heads to face the voice. It belongs to a child around the same age as Shouyou, and it’s aimed at the ginger-haired boy, who just stares at the boy in confusion. He doesn’t understand why he’s being insulted, he’s doing nothing wrong, but the other boy doesn’t seem to care. His bright blue eyes are set in a harsh glare, and his black hair is sticking to his forehead as he waves a shaky finger at Shouyou’s face.

“That’s not how you play volleyball!” The boy says, petulant, and stomps over to where Shouyou is sitting with his uncle, cradling the volley in his arms as if it’s a small animal he needs to care for, glaring at Shouyou, full of a heat that shouldn’t belong to a child that small, but his passion for the sport is ageless, it seems.

“I know that! We can’t play inside, though!” The ginger-haired boy exclaims his reply, huffing and rolling his eyes as he mimics his uncle’s earlier words, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Let’s go outside then!” The other boy replies, before he remembers where he is and turns to find Suga’s amused expression, his own changing from its childlike anger into a pleading one. “Can we? I promise we’ll be careful!”

“If an adult goes with you, then yes,” Suga says, and watches as Bokuto volunteers immediately. The baby in his arms is starting to squirm, and the teacher watches as he walks over to hand the small girl over to his husband, who always has an easier time calming her, and then lead both Shouyou and his new friend through the door that leads to the small garden in the back.

Akaashi watches them too, one of his fingers caught in baby Natsu’s grip as she rests against his chest, instantly quieter. It’s almost as if his calm demeanor is contagious, as the baby stops her squirming and fades off into her sleep once more, her little breaths timed with Keiji’s own. He flickers his eyes to Suga’s once again, a smile tugging at his lips as he finds the man looking at Natsu in his arms, entranced by how her behavior changed just simply because the arms holding her did.

“You can stay a while longer if you’d like, but it seems Shouyou’s made a friend already,” the teacher comments as he walks towards the window, where the two of them watch the small ginger boy pass the ball back and forth with the other child. “Tobio’s a very quiet boy, usually. He’s got a lot of energy waiting to come out, too,” the silver-haired man mentions, and Keiji nods slightly in acknowledgement. “Maybe they’ll be good to one another.”

As Akaashi watches Shouyou smile like he hasn’t in the month that it’s been since the day of his parents passing, he can’t help but agree.


	2. Pink Sky Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Bokuto Koutarou has known about his nephew’s long-standing crush (or perhaps a feeling a lot stronger than that, he muses) on his best friend for a long time now. He’s never been told about it outright, because Shouyou is as bad about relaying his feelings as he is sticking to his curfew - case in point, he’s late for dinner again and Akaashi is not happy with it, but Bokuto decides to let it slide tonight._

Tonight finds the oldest Hinata once again staring up at the moon.

The sun hasn’t quite fallen yet, giving the sky a pink hue that perfectly frames the faded moon. It’s not big or bright, just yet; almost a shadow as it eagerly waits for its turn to shine upon the streets underneath it. He’s not standing on a small chest and staring out the window, either; he’s frozen, stock still, atop a small curving bridge, forearms crossed over the rail as his golden eyes stare up at the one constant in his life.

In fact, that’s not the only thing that’s constant. For one, there’s the fact his uncles have not aged a day since he first moved in with them; there’s the fact uncle Bokuto is loud and eccentric and taught Shouyou everything he knew of magic, and uncle Akaashi is calm and loving, but still engages their fun games whenever they play them. Another constant is his sister Natsu, growing up steadily and full of love from her family and friends; she doesn’t have magic, like he does, but Shouyou knows she doesn’t feel any less of a Hinata for it - she’s as smart as their father had been, or so their uncles tell them.

The one other thing that has never changed or faltered in his life is the fact Kageyama Tobio is his best friend.

After having met, that fateful first day of kindergarten, the two boys have been inseparable. Connected by their favorite sport (taught to Shouyou by Bokuto, who’s played it professionally before, and to Tobio by his grandfather, who simply loved it), but also by magic - both boys possess large amounts of magical energy within their bodies, and their close friendship means they’ve even performed small spells together, some resulting in beautiful flowers blossoming all around the creek that hugs the river as it runs alongside their hometown, and others resulting in scorched hairs and insults thrown at each other.

As Shouyou stares at the setting sky, waiting for the moon to come out, he briefly wonders if there isn’t more that they could be. The days spent beside Kageyama are his favorite; he’s free to feel anything he wishes to feel, even if it’s sadness, because the other doesn’t judge him for it. Even when they’re poking fun at each other and small calls of “dumbass” fall from his lips, Shouyou is still his most complete whenever he’s present. He’s been struggling with understanding the warmth that spreads in his chest whenever Kageyama smiles ever since high school, and even now, that they’re both twenty-one (not for long, though, as Shouyou’s birthday approaches, making the next six months a blissful opportunity to tease Tobio about how he’s so young), he still doesn’t quite grasp what it is he feels for Tobio.

Or rather, he knows exactly what it is, he’s not that dense, but he doesn’t want to; if he pretends he doesn’t know, the thought won’t consume him completely.

“Oi, dumbass, what’re you doing?”

Shouyou’s broken out of his thoughts by the familiar voice, and his chest does that weird thing again where it seems like everything is exploding. He doesn’t turn away from the moon, though, even though he guesses that Tobio looks even prettier than it, illuminated by gentle summer rays of the sunshine that’s slowly fading away.

“You think I can grow wings?” He asks, instead of answering the other’s question. There’s silence from his best friend as he shuffles to stand beside him, and Shouyou can see at the ends of his vision that Kageyama’s staring at the barely-there moon, high in the sky. “I’d like to be able to fly, see what it’s like up there, see if I can reach the moon and come back.”

“Dumbass, you’d die in outer space without the proper equipment,” Kageyama scoffs his reply, but Hinata hears the underlying kindness in his words; they’ve had this conversation, albeit briefly, when they were young. Hinata wished to fly to the moon, to see if his parents were there; Kageyama had only hugged his best friend, back then. “But maybe there’s a spell to help with that too,” he says after only a moment of silence, and he sounds so serious, Hinata has to look at him.

The ginger-haired man turns to look at his best friend, and bites the inside of his cheek to hold back the soft gasp that wants to escape his lips. He was right, the other man looks dizzyingly beautiful like this, face framed by the darkening sky, black hair shining with flecks of gold as the sun shines upon the two of them. His expression is soft, much different from his usually pinched eyebrows and scowling lips, and his blue eyes reflect all the colors of the sky so clearly, Hinata never wants to look away. He feels the muscle inside his chest squeeze in its beating, and has to hold onto the edge of the railing he’s leaned against in order to stop his hand from instinctively going to where it happened, to clutch at his shirt as if that’ll help ease the uneven skips of his heart.

Shouyou wants to continue watching the colors of the sky change through his best friend’s eyes, wants to know exactly how the blue in his irises changes tone with the night as it falls, but he looks away instead, before he’s caught. It seems that even though he pretends he doesn’t understand his own heart, his feelings are obvious anyway, and he can only hope Kageyama doesn’t catch onto them. He’s never seen him think twice about dating, about love, but he’s sure his feelings won’t be reciprocated. Their friendship needs to be enough for him, and he tells himself that as he focuses his eyes on the water as it moves slowly, softly, underneath the bridge they stand upon.

“A girl asked me to go with her to the graduation ball, today,” Kageyama breaks the silence that had settled around them, and Hinata’s eyes snap over to him, wide in surprise. He wants to school his expression into a teasing one, but he can only stare at the raven-haired man by his side, thoughts conflicted and heart hammering at his chest, painfully.

“That’s- that’s great! Can’t imagine why someone’d want to go with a dumbass like you, but I guess there’s someone out there crazy enough to like you after all, ha.” Shouyou forces the words out as he looks away from Kageyama once more, praying the other man doesn’t peer too close into his face, hoping he doesn’t catch the sad tilt of his lips even though he tries to grin.

“I guess,” Kageyama says in response, and then sighs. “I told her I couldn’t go with her ‘cause I had a date already,” he murmurs, embarrassed. “I didn’t want to be too mean, but I didn’t want to go with her either.” Shouyou’s eyes have found Kageyama’s face once again, and he watches as the man scowls, the expression so familiar that he can’t help but grin genuinely. He tries to tell himself his smile has nothing to do with the fact Kageyama rejected that other girl. “I don’t have anyone to go with, though, she’ll know I was lying and then-.”

“I can go!” Hinata offers, maybe a little too enthusiastic, but Kageyama only scoffs.

“Idiot. You’re graduating too, you have to go.”

“I mean, as your date. Or your fake-date, I guess,” the older of the two says, and pushes away from the edge of the bridge, turning his body completely to face his best friend; he tries to tame his skipping heart, and he knows he’s only going to hurt himself by doing this, but he can’t stop talking now. “It’s just one night, and we’d end up sitting together anyway, we can just avoid the dancing parts and hang out!”

“Huh.” Hinata’s holding his breath as Kageyama turns as well, facing the shorter man with a pensive expression. “That’s actually a good idea,” he says, snickering right after. “There goes your one good idea of the year.”

“Hey!” Hinata huffs and aims a soft punch at his best friend’s shoulder, before grinning so wide it rivals the lights that flicker on around them, brightening the street, now that night’s finally fallen. He tries to contain his glee, tries to hold back the happiness radiating off his body, but he knows he’s not very successful; thankfully, Kageyama is much too dense to understand where it stems from. “Look, the moon’s out,” he says, drawing Kageyama’s attention up, to the dark sky where the full moon is, demanding all eyes on it as its white hues coat over everything under it.

“Yeah,” Kageyama says, and the conversation dies as the two of them turn to face the moon as it bathes them in its soft light, elbows touching as they stand side by side once more, both entranced by something brighter than themselves, for the moment.

Kageyama walks him home after a while of silently observing the moon. It’s not the first time they’ve done this; Hinata has shared his desire to fly to the moon plenty of times since they met, at five-years old. Still, sixteen years later, it seems there’s something different about them; perhaps it’s the fact they’ve grown, and that most people have shut down Hinata’s ramblings about the moon all through his life, but having shared, once again, that desire with Kageyama feels special.

When he waves his best friend goodbye and closes the front door of the place he has called home since he was much too young to understand what that meant, he groans loudly. The embarrassment of his eager suggestion of being Kageyama’s fake-date, mixed in with the dread of having to pretend to be his date, while also pretending he’s not loving every moment of it, is doing something terrible for his heartbeat, and his stomach.

“Hey hey hey,” his uncle greets, as boisterous as ever; his demeanor changes as soon as he sees Hinata leaning back against the door, however, looking pained. “Oi, what happened? You okay? Did you eat something funky for lunch?”

“No,” Shouyou replies in an instant, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout as looks up at Bokuto. Back when he was growing up, it jarred him how the man never seemed to age; nowadays, he doesn’t even remember he’s supposed to be older than him. “I did something stupid,” he confesses, the easy companionship he’s built with the man making him comfortable enough for the words to spill out of his lips. “I told Kageyama I would go to the graduation ball with him as his fake-date.”

“Hey hey hey, there you go munchk- wait, did you say ‘fake date’?”

Bokuto Koutarou has known about his nephew’s long-standing crush (or perhaps a feeling a lot stronger than that, he muses) on his best friend for a long time now. He’s never been told about it outright, because Shouyou is as bad about relaying his feelings as he is sticking to his curfew - case in point, he’s late for dinner again and Akaashi is not happy with it, but Bokuto decides to let it slide tonight.

“Yeah.” Shouyou grumbles unhappily, tugging at his hair in frustration as he leans his head back against the door. “It’s stupid! He got asked by some girl but told her no because he said he had a date already, and I was so jealous even though he said no, it just... came out,” he explains, voice deflating as he slides down slightly, a big sigh escaping him before he talks again. “And that idiot actually thought it was a good idea.”

“Sheesh, Shou. So much magical energy, so little brain,” his uncle jokes, tone kinder than the words would suggest. “Look, why don’t you just ask him to be your actual date? I know it’s scary, but if you’re honest and it doesn’t work out, at least you can move on.”

“When did you get so wise, Kou?” Another male voice comes from the doorway to the kitchen, and Shouyou whines as he sees his other uncle leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest as he glances between his husband and their nephew. “You’re late for dinner, Shouyou,” he says to the younger boy, but his expression remains soft as he looks at him, his glasses forgotten on the kitchen table. “Let’s eat, then we can talk about this.”

Keiji’s tone leaves no room for arguing on the ginger’s part, and before long the family of four is sat around the kitchen table, eating and talking amicably about their days. Shouyou’s sixteen-year-old sister, Natsu, talks enthusiastically about the volleyball game she won earlier that day, spurred on by Koutarou as he pokes for details and relives his own days of being a volleyball player. On the other side of the table, Keiji looks on with nothing but love written all over his expression, and Shouyou puts as much enthusiasm as he can into his replies, although he can’t stop thinking about the graduation ball with nerves fluttering in his stomach.

It’s not his first time attending the ball. It is, after all, a yearly event that all the people in town are welcome to attend. He’s gone with his family in the past, a request of a younger Shouyou who was curious to see what all the fuss is about, and because every year the ball is held on the summer solstice, which is, coincidentally, his birthday, when he was sixteen he asked his uncle to take him there and they ended up spending a better part of his birthday night dancing around together, enjoying the many activities of the festival that surrounded the main event. They’ve made it a habit of joining the celebrations every year, from that day forward.

It is, however, his first time attending because he is one of the graduating magicians. And, to top it off, it’s his first time attending with someone who’s not his family; even if it’s play pretend, just a way for Kageyama to be able to enjoy the ball and consequent festival with ease, he still feels nervous. He wants to punch his own face for suggesting it, but knows he can’t; maybe he can irritate Kageyama enough, before the ball, that he’ll do it for him.

“Shouyou,” his uncle Keiji calls, and the younger man snaps his head up, blinking as he realizes his sister has left the table already and their plates have been cleared. “I can tell you haven’t heard a word I said so far,” the man sighs, reaching out a hand to pat Shouyou’s own, which is set on the table in a nervous fist. “I’ll leave this to your uncle Kou, then. He’s surprisingly better at this than I am.”

“Hey!” Bokuto whines from where’s putting the last of the dried dishes away, setting down the towel he was using to complete his task before he walks over to the table, smiling down at his husband nonetheless. “Go, you’ve got that deadline coming up,” he says to the steel-eyed man, leaning down to kiss the top of his head before turning to Shouyou, who’s had his eyes fixed on the wooden table beneath his hands. “Come on, chibi-chan, let’s go outside.”

The younger of the three doesn’t try to deny his uncle, doesn’t even complain at the nickname he’s begged him to stop using; he simply bids his goodnight to Keiji, hands instinctively going to hold his face and lean his forehead against the man’s in his usual loving gesture, and then he’s up and walking away from the table. Most people were startled when Shouyou held their face in his hands as a greeting, so he stopped doing it as much as he grew, but his family was the exception; he never hesitated to pour his magic into them with the gentle hold, letting them feel the love he held for them.

There was a point in time where Shouyou tried to hold Kageyama’s face in his hand to let him feel his affection, but the other man had jerked back so quickly, the thought never crossed his mind again. Sometimes, he found his hands reaching out on instinct, especially on days where he could see the clouds casting shadows over the ocean blue of his best friend’s eyes, but he always settled on a soft pat on his shoulders instead.

Plopping down on the back porch, Shouyou leans his face in his hands as he sits cross legged, a sigh falling from his lips. He thought, when he first realized his feelings for his best friend, that if he pretended they didn’t exist, they’d eventually fade. He tried going on dates with different people, and had met lovely ones at that, but his heart was never there; he kissed and touched and smiled, but, sometimes, his eyes betrayed him and he found himself seeing jet black hair and shining azure eyes, even when they weren’t there.

“Alright, kiddo. Talk to me. What’s so scary about telling him how you feel?”

Shouyou looks up to find Bokuto sitting beside him, his golden eyes illuminated by the full moon that shines upon them. He looks up as well, comforted by the soft, white light that he’s loved for so long; he can’t stop the gentle tremble of his lips, though, even before he says a word. He feels a weight on his shoulder, and doesn’t have to look to know his uncle’s hand is resting there, large and strong, but, most of all, gentle. Gentle in its comfort, in its presence; a reminder he’s not alone.

“He’s... He’s never shown interest in those things,” Shouyou begins, voice wavering as it catches in his throat. He doesn’t want to appear weak, doesn’t want to feel so much, but he’s always been known to be explosive with his emotions, for good or bad. “He’s all stoic and emotionless, except when he isn’t, but never like that. And I’m scared that if I try to tell him how I feel, he’ll just stare at me with nothing to say and I’ll never be able to face him again. I... I don’t think I can lose him on a whim.”

“Is it a whim, though?” Bokuto’s voice is uncharacteristically quiet, his usual booming tone replace with a soft whisper. “Shou, a whim is something fleeting, something sudden; your love for Kageyama is anything but,” he continues, and when Shouyou trembles underneath his hand, he squeezes his hold ever so slightly, steadying him. “Maybe he’s never shown interest because he doesn’t realize there’s anything to be interested in.”

He pauses for a moment, but Shouyou says nothing, just sniffles as he feels something small and wet roll down the side of his face. “Look, when I met Keiji I was scared too. He was a lot like Kageyama, quiet and introverted. We became friends by chance, but I couldn’t get enough of him. Kept pestering until he agreed to give me a shot, even though he’d been adamant he didn’t care for any of that. Now, here we are.”

Shouyou takes another shaky breath, his vision of the moon blurred as the tears continue to pool in his eyes. He loves his uncles and sister more than anything in this world; they are the foundation of his very being, the people he’s most proud of, and he wouldn’t trade them for the world. He’s happy being with them, experiencing his highs and lows with them by his side. But his heart aches for more, for a connection he hasn’t felt yet, but that’s been simmering under his skin as he continued to grow. He wants a love like his uncles share, but he feels selfish for wanting something so beautiful, when he already has so many beautiful things.

“Shou,” his uncle calls, the weight on his shoulder disappearing for a moment, only to return in force as the younger is pulled to Bokuto’s side, his large arm draped over both of Shouyou’s shoulders. “You’ll be alright. Just tell him. If nothing comes of it, we’ll be here to help you move along. You won’t be alone.”

Turning slightly, Shouyou hides his face in his uncle’s broad shoulder to hide the tears that are stubbornly falling down his cheeks. He feels so warm, so loved, but he can’t help but wish it didn’t have to be this complicated; he wishes he’d fallen in love with someone less complicated to read, someone he could get over if it didn’t work out. Because, if there’s one thing he knows, is that if Kageyama doesn’t return his feelings, Shouyou’ll never be the same; he’ll be eternally scarred by the rejection from someone he holds so dear, soul shaped as if he’s the moon and there’s a crater that insists on reshaping its surface.

The two remain like that for a while, until Akaashi warns them that it’s gotten too late to sit outside, the nightly breeze picking up. Neither of them feel cold, their magic protecting them against the feeling, but they move anyway. Bokuto leads his nephew to his room, and there’s no awkwardness as he waits for the other to change before bidding him goodnight.

Keiji’s waiting by the bedroom door, and when he sees his husband leave, he walks in, unashamed. Shouyou’s grown up strong and independent, smart and full of a powerful magic that rivals even more experienced magicians, but he’s still a loving young boy at heart. He loves and hurts with all of his soul, even with simple things. He recalls holding him as he cried because he accidentally dropped a vase with Akaashi’s favorite plant when cleaning, when he was younger. He’s intense and too much for most people, but Keiji loves his nephew for it, and engages his emotions with his own.

That’s why he sits beside the young man on his bed and tucks him in as he did when he was just five years old and asked about his parents and the moon, making sure the covers are tightly pulled around his body before he reciprocates his earlier gesture and holds his cheeks in his palms and leans his forehead on the ginger’s. There’s no magic that flows from his hands into Shouyou’s skin, as he’s never had any, but he pours all his love and affection into it anyway, smiling softly as he spots Shouyou’s own soft smile when he pulls back.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Shouyou asks in a whisper, eyes drifting closed as his day catches up to him, and the exhaustion takes over his form, breath slowing as he begins to fall asleep.

“If he doesn’t like you, someone else will,” Akaashi murmurs in reply, reminiscing on a similar conversation the two had many years ago. He doesn’t know if his nephew hears him, with the way he seems to have fallen asleep already, but he smiles softly anyway as he releases his hold on his face. “But I don’t think that’s gonna happen,” he confesses, planting a firm kiss on Shouyou’s forehead, before slowly rising from his bed.

He walks towards the door but turns to watch Shouyou for a few moments longer, heart squeezing in his chest, both full of love and pain, as he feels the eyes of the ginger’s parents stare at him through the photograph that hasn’t moved an inch from where it was originally hung on the bedroom wall. He glances at it for a second, making once again the promise to look after their children as best as he can, before he closes the door and, much like all those years ago, walks across the hall and straight into Bokuto’s warm embrace.


	3. Carousel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You’re embarrassing him, uncle Kou,” Natsu pipes up from beside them, and Shouyou’s eternally grateful for his sister. “You’re snotting all over him in front of his boyfriend,” she continues, and Shouyou takes his gratefulness back as he blushes bright red, sputtering as he tries to find the words to say._

The day of the ball dawns faster than Shouyou’s prepared for. In the weeks leading up to it, he’s continued to be a babbling mess, changing the conversation whenever the topic’s approached in his friend group. He knows Kageyama’s noticed, because he keeps giving him weird glances whenever he avoids talking about the ball like the plague, but he says nothing. He probably chalks it up to Shouyou’s weird nervousness that sometimes overpowers him whenever he has to do something important - in this case, graduating from his magical course and becoming a full-fledged magician seems pretty important.

They don’t have classes on the day of the ball, and all their exams are already finished, so this means that Shouyou gets to enjoy most of his birthday with nothing of importance to do. He starts his day by having breakfast with his family, opening a few presents they’ve given him, including a beautiful flowing jacket that resembles a kimono that he vows to wear to his graduating ball, instead of the blazer he’d chosen. It falls down to bellow his knees, and its sleeves are large enough to resemble wings, and he loves it; it makes him feel like he can just pick up speed and fly towards the moon, like he’s always wanted.

After breakfast, the family of four walks around town, finding the stands as they prepare for the evening celebrations. The graduation ceremony begins at six, a typical showing of the graduating students as they walk across a stage to receive their diploma, and after that is done, the ball follows - a dinner for the whole town to enjoy, where the students are allowed to show some of their magic if they wish to, and afterwards they’re pulled into a dance for a couple of hours. The townspeople usually leave after a dance or two, but the graduating students must remain until the end, only allowed to enjoy the festival outside once the headmaster has given their final speech, and they’ve made it through the closing ceremony, where each student is encouraged to perform a spell of good fortune that showers all over the town.

Shouyou, despite his nerves at having to pretend to be dating his best friend for the duration of the ceremony, and perhaps even the festival after, so it won’t look suspicious, is excited for the night. He’s never stayed at the ball long enough to enjoy the closing ceremony, always much more excited to try the different foods displayed at the stands and to try and catch goldfish whenever he can, so he’s looking forward to being a part of that. He’s briefly devised a plan to avoid being pulled into dancing with Kageyama, and texted the plan to the man so he could go along with it easily.

He’s slightly disappointed that he doesn’t see Kageyama throughout the day, despite spending most of his time around town and in various placed he would usually run into him. His other friends have treated him to lunch at his favorite restaurant and all pinched in to give him a tome of old magic he’s been eyeing at the book store for a while now, and he gets teary-eyed as he holds it to his chest, overwhelmed at the feeling of being so loved. His heart betrays him, however, as he wonders if Kageyama was a part of the gift, if he’s even aware it’s his birthday, considering he hasn’t said a thing, but he pushes the thought away as he continues to enjoy his day.

By the time four in the afternoon rolls around, he’s had more fun than he was hoping to, and heads home to take a relaxing bath, cleaning himself thoroughly in order to not embarrass himself at the ceremony taking place soon. Once he’s dried himself, he puts on his outfit for the event, his black slacks tight around the hips but loose down his legs, paired with a white button-up shirt with short sleeves; he leaves the top two buttons open, hanging a long necklace over the fabric with a small pendant of a black feather at the bottom of it, which belonged to his mother. He puts on his flowing jacket over it, smiling at the mirror; he looks dashing, if he does say so himself.

“Nii-chan, you look dumb,” Natsu says from the doorway, and Shouyou frowns at her through the mirror, but it’s short-lived when he spots the teasing grin on the sixteen-year-old’s lips. “Uncle Kou asked me to come get you, we gotta go soon,” she says, this time seriously, walking into the room and stopping to stand besides her older brother.

Their hair is the same tone of orange and their smiles the same twist at the corners; if she wasn’t so obviously younger, Shouyou is sure they’d be taken for twins. Natsu is wearing a beautiful flowing dress that ends at her ankles, black with beautiful purple flowers drawn all over the fabric. Her hair is pulled into a ponytail in an attempt to tame it but, much like his own, it’s much too rebelious, with puffs of it already free from the ponytail’s clutch; Shouyou has decided to leave his as is, not wanting to fight a losing battle so early on.

“They’d be proud,” the girl whispers, leaning her head into Shouyou’s shoulder softly, her hand finding his and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m proud of you, nii-chan,” she says louder, grinning up at him through the mirror. “You’re gonna be okay.”

“Stop it,” Shouyou whines, but he squeezes his sister’s hand just the same, some moisture already gathering at the corners of his eyes. “Thanks, Natsu,” he says quietly, then, tugging her hand until she’s facing him and then letting go so he can hold her face instead, the glow of his magic illuminating the faintly tanned skin of her cheeks as he pours magic into her. “Love you, you brat.”

There’s a sniffle from the door that breaks Shouyou out of this tender moment with his younger sister, and he turns to find his uncles there, the taller and broader of the two sniffling back tears as he looks at them. The older Hinata chuckles and pulls away from his sister, opening his arms to allow Bokuto to step into them, giving him a tight hug; he’s gotten his clinginess from the man, after all. Soon, he feels another pair of arms around them as Akaashi joins the embrace, one hand on Shouyou’s back and the other on Bokuto’s, both of them touched by Natsu as she joins in on the group hug.

“Ugh, you’re gonna ruin my clothes,” Shouyou says after a few moments, trying to sound annoyed but it’s clear in his voice that he’s touched by the outpour of love from his family. “Don’t we have to leave soon?”

“We do.” It’s Keiji who replies and pulls away first, subtly wiping underneath his eyes to clear any tears that managed to escape. He tugs Bokuto away and cleans under his husband’s eyes as well, a fond smile on his lips as he does so. “C’mon, Kou, it’s not like he’s going away or something,” he whispers to the taller man, straightening his shirt before he pulls away and looks back at their niece and nephew. “If you’re both ready, we need to leave now.”

When the two ascent that they’re ready, the family of four walks together to their car so they can drive to the university campus, where the ceremonies are being held; they could’ve walked, but the streets are already packed with people wishing to visit the festival stands, and besides they are a little later on schedule than they should, so driving helps not make them be late to the beginning of the event. Once they’re parked, they head towards the auditorium where the graduation ceremony will take place, and Shouyou parts way with the rest of his family to find his seat amidst his graduating colleagues.

Much to his chagrin, he’s not sitting close to Kageyama, and doesn’t even see the man; their names are too far apart, and, being as short as he is, Shouyou’s quickly lost in the crowd, only specks of orange breaking through the sea of graduating students. The ceremony begins at exactly six o’clock, and after a speech from the headmaster, the students start walking and receiving their diplomas. When it’s Shouyou’s turn, he grins wide as he hears uncle Bokuto cheer louder than anyone else has, so far, but his eyes turn in a different direction, and his breath gets stuck in his throat.

He can’t tear his eyes away from the man in the middle of the students waiting to walk the stage, his golden irises reflecting the brightness of the pair of wings Kageyama’s magically drawn above him; their feathers are iridescent under the auditorium lights, fluttering softly, and they look almost as soft as the proud smile on his best friend’s face. The image gets blurred as tears fill Shouyou’s eyes and he brings the hand not holding his diploma to his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart and wishing he could fly across the room to be at Kageyama’s side, to touch the pair of wings he’s created just for him.

Instead, he offers him a watery grin and extends his hand in a wave, before he rushes off stage and to where the other students are gathered. He’s glad Akaashi forced him to pack tissues in one of his pockets as he takes one out and cleans his tears away, bouncing from foot to foot as he waits for Kageyama to be done with receiving his own diploma so he joins him.

He doesn’t measure how long it takes, but as soon as he sees Kageyama’s head descending the stairs, he sneaks his way onto him, lips parted in an excited grin, his nerves all forgotten for the moment.

“Kageyama!” He calls enthusiastically, some of his classmates making way for him to walk towards his best friend, watching them surreptitiously. “That was so cool! How did you do that? Do you think they’d actually work?”

“Shut up, dumbass,” the taller of the two replies, a slight tint to his cheeks at the praise. “I don’t know, I don’t think so. They were just, like, an image; they weren’t, like, substantial,” he mumbles, and before he can help himself, his hand’s found the shorter’s hair, ruffling it for a second. “I’ll show you the spell later,” he promises, and Shouyou beams with a smile so bright, the lights in the auditorium are put to shame. “Happy birthday, Hinata.”

“You remembered!” Shouyou’s so happy he forgets to hide his previous fears, squealing much too loud, but no one tells him off for it. “Thanks, Kageyama,” he says, and he’s so high in the feeling of happiness and pride that he forgets to hold back.

Before Shouyou realizes what he’s doing, he’s holding Kageyama’s face in his palms and his pulling it down until their foreheads touch, and all his happiness and affection is glowing as it’s pressed into the other’s skin. He hears Kageyama gasp quietly but is too lost to pay it any mind, eyes closed as he relishes in the feeling of being so close, of being able to touch him like this. He feels warm all over, the tips of his fingers tingling where they’re pressed into Kageyama’s cheeks, and he feels dizzy with love for the taller man.

“Hinata.”

The call of his name is said in a whisper, and Shouyou opens his eyes to find Kageyama staring at him, and for a second he thinks his eyes can reflect the glow of his magic, but that’s not it; he realizes Kageyama’s eyes are shining with magic of their own, the blue glow so beautiful it leaves him breathless. He can see that Kageyama seems to be out of breath as well, and when there’s a particularly loud laugh from one of the other students gathered around them, the moment breaks and Shouyou realizes what he’s done.

He pulls his hands back as he takes a step away from his best friend, fingers tangling behind his back as he looks away from Kageyama and down at his feet, expecting the other to ask him what the hell he thinks he’s doing, tell him to go away and leave him alone for thinking he gets to do these kinds of things just because they’re friends. When there’s no angry words or sarcastic remark, he looks up and finds Kageyama looking down at him with a pensive expression, much like he sometimes looks at the moon; it makes him flush and he looks away once more.

“C’mon, we should go meet your family.” Kageyama breaks the silence and reaches for his upper arm, fingers wrapping gently around the muscle as he begins to lead Shouyou through the crowd.

Shouyou’s too stunned to say anything in reply, simply following his best friend as he’s guided towards a clearer spot of the auditorium. Once they reach it, he expects Kageyama to let go of him and go his own way, but instead he slides his hand down to tug Shouyou’s arm from behind him and holds his wrist as he continues to walk with a purpose, until he stops. Shouyou notices they’ve stopped in front of his uncles and sister, and flushes as Kageyama doesn’t let go of his wrist.

“Shou!” Bokuto’s crying again, Shouyou notices, but doesn’t tease him for it, especially when he sees that Akaashi is also shedding some tears. “You looked so cool when you walked the stage, I’m so proud!” The broad man bellows, booming voice resonating around them. His hands glow faintly as he raises them to Shouyou’s face, and the young man flushes as he sees Kageyama look on in wonder when Bokuto leans his forehead against his. “So proud of you, munchkin, you’ve got no clue.”

“You’re embarrassing him, uncle Kou,” Natsu pipes up from beside them, and Shouyou’s eternally grateful for his sister. “You’re snotting all over him in front of his boyfriend,” she continues, and Shouyou takes his gratefulness back as he blushes bright red, sputtering as he tries to find the words to say.

“Pardon the intrusion,” Kageyama interrupts his pathetic attempt at a reply, bowing softly in greeting. “I just wanted to make sure we didn’t lose each other in the crowd, since we’re going to the ball together,” he says casually, and Shouyou feels his face grow hotter at the implication. He knows his uncles know about their fake-date, but Natsu doesn’t, and he hates lying to her, but he can’t really deny any of Kageyama’s words when there’s other students walking by them.

“Oh, that’s very thoughtful of you, Kageyama-kun,” Keiji says in reply, smiling softly when he spots the taller’s hand still wrapped around Shouyou’s wrist. “We won’t hold you back any longer. We’ll see you at the festival, right?” He asks, and for a moment Shouyou thinks the question’s for him, but notices his uncle is looking at Kageyama, still.

“Of course, we’ll find you when we’re done with the date,” his best friend replies, and Shouyou snaps his head around to stare at him, thinking maybe the other’s exaggerating a little with the lie; he knows they’re supposed to be pretending they’re attending the ball together, but it feels a little overkill to be mentioning it so often.

“You better treat my boy right!” Bokuto breaks out of his crying fit to level a small glare at Kageyama, and Shouyou wants nothing more than to escape this hell; the way they’re all acting is giving him hope for something he knows he can’t have, and he wishes they’d all just stop. “Otherwise I’ll-.”

“Alright, that’s enough uncle Kou, let’s go.”

Thankful again for his sister, Shouyou watches as she tugs their uncles away with a wave of her hand, keeping his eyes on his family until they disappear outside. His face is still flushed red and he can’t look in Kageyama’s direction, afraid of what he might find if he does; he doesn’t want to see his emotionless expression now that they’re alone, doesn’t want to see him smile at their well-placed lie.

“Let’s go,” the taller of the two says, gently tugging Shouyou’s wrist, and the shorter allows himself to be guided to the makeshift ballroom that’s been made of the gymnasium adjacent to the auditorium.

Inside the gym, a large table’s been laid with all kinds of foods and drinks, with enough seats for every graduating student to sit comfortably. There’s other tables spread throughout the space, but most of the room is cleared of any furniture to serve as a dance floor for all the students who will partake in the dancing part of the graduating ball. The townspeople occupy the space for now, standing around with plates full of food and glasses full to the brim with their drink of choice, but Shouyou doesn’t have enough time to appreciate it all as he’s tugged to a corner of the main table, where he’s shoved into a seat, with Kageyama next to him.

The dinner’s good, and it distracts Shouyou enough from the earlier encounter with his family. He’s surrounded by friends who are just as excited as him to be graduating, and although Kageyama doesn’t participate in a lot of the conversations, his presence beside him is enough to make Shouyou feel warm. He doesn’t talk a lot, but sometimes Shouyou will catch him with a slight upturn of the corners of his lips as he listens to him talk, and other times he calls him a dumbass after a particularly odd retell of one of their adventures through different spells, but it’s so affectionate Shouyou chokes on his food more than once.

When they’re done eating, and the townspeople have begun to leave, the ball part of the evening begins, and as music begins playing, a live band invited to perform for them with a man singing his animated tunes for the crowd, many students crowd the dancing floor, breaking into pairs or groups as they enjoy themselves to the sound of the guitars and drums setting their rhythm. Shouyou stays stubbornly stuck to his seat despite his friends asking him to join their dancing, but after a while he begins to get restless, hands twisting on his lap as his feet tap on the floor.

Kageyama, of course, notices it immediately.

“You can go dance with them if you want,” he says, voice quiet as he leans closer to Shouyou’s side to whisper the words to him, just loud enough to be heard over the music, but not by anyone else.

“No!” Shouyou replies immediately, turning his head to look at his best friend’s face, offering him a forced grin. “If I leave you here, you might get snatched away. Besides, the point of us coming together was for us to actually be together, right?” He continues, nudging his best friend’s side as he looks down at the people dancing. “Can’t have any girl thinking you’re here alone.”

He’s met with silence after he’s done talking, and Shouyou fears he’s said something he shouldn’t have. Did he seem too eager to stay beside Kageyama? Did he not make it clear that he was only saying this to keep their cover (even though he meant every word of it)? He’s about to ask, because he’s nervous all over again, but Kageyama’s chair makes a soft screeching sound as he pushes it back and stands up, holding out his hand to a confused Shouyou.

“Come on, then. I’ll dance with you,” the raven-haired man grumbles, the tips of his ears pink as he frowns down at the other.

“Wha- Kageyama! It’s okay!” Shouyou lifts both hands in surrender, trying to show he’s really alright with just sitting there all night, but Kageyama doesn’t back down. He sputters for a second, trying to come up with another excuse for not standing up and going on the dance floor with him, but when he can’t come up with anything, he huffs. “Fine!” He takes the hand Kageyama’s still holding out and stands up as well, his palms glowing softly, happy magic flowing through him even though he tries to contain it.

Once again, he follows Kageyama around until they’re standing chest to chest on the dance floor, surrounded by their peers. [The song is lively enough](https://youtu.be/QbRopWBOgLM) for them to swing side to side together, still holding each other’s hand as they stare away from each other, embarrassed. The man on the band’s tiny stage continues to sing, and Shouyou barely catches most of the words but what he does catch makes his heart race slightly. The irony of dancing along to these words with his best friend, the man he’s been in love with for God knows how long, is not lost on him.

When the song’s over, there’s a short pause for the singer to grab an acoustic guitar, and before long he’s [plucking a soft melody](https://youtu.be/JmzjhaQIim4) out of its strings. It seems to enchant the students dancing, and as they all choose a partner to dance slowly with, Shouyou finally looks up at his own dancing partner, finding Kageyama’s eyes already on him.

The singer begins his story in a soft voice, and the two young men are lost in the moment for a second, but then someone bumps into Kageyama and they’re broken out of their reverie. They’re closer now, their chests touching, and Shouyou can’t tell if it’s because of the bump or not, but Kageyama’s free hand is now holding his side, gently wrapping around his hip, under his jacket. He watches, in a daze, as Kageyama lifts their joined hands until its right next to his face, and then the taller releases his hold on Shouyou’s limb and places it on his cheek instead.

“Do that again,” Kageyama whispers, and Shouyou really doesn’t hear what he says but understands what he wants anyway, as the taller man leans his head down until their foreheads touch.

The orange-haired man lifts his free hand to Kageyama’s other cheek, glowing gently as he holds him, a soft gasp passing his lips as he feels the other’s bigger hand rest on his free hip. He begins to sway to the rhythm of the music, guided by Kageyama’s hands as they take him side to side. As the song gains momentum, Kageyama gets a little more daring, even though he’s not watching the space around them, and starts moving them in small, slow circles.

The song slows again and their breaths are mingling, Kageyama’s eyes glowing in response to the glow of Hinata’s hand. Shouyou lowers one hand to his best friend’s shoulder as he grabs his other one, gently covering his smaller one with his long fingers, securing it tight within his hold. The song begins to crescendo once more, and with it their movements become something fiercer, larger than they’re able to comprehend, even.

Before long, the two are swaying and circling across the entire floor, somehow never bumping into anyone else, Shouyou’s loose jacket flowing behind him like the smoke trail of a ravenous fire that consumes all in its path. It’s a beautiful dance for anyone watching, with Kageyama twirling Shouyou occasionally in big circles as they float across the room seamlessly, as if they’re flying; so in tune with one another they almost look like a single entity, glowing blue and golden, so bright it rivals the stage lights that have been set across the gymnasium. They’re so lost in each other, in this moment, they don’t notice when their magic mingles, becoming an emerald tone as it covers them head to toe, feet levitating ever so slightly off the ground, with everyone else watching.

As the song comes to an end, so does their movement - they stop spinning gradually, with the decrease of the swell of the music, and end up back where they started, their feet touching the ground once more as they breathe heavily. When there’s a lack of follow-up music, Shouyou remembers where they are and blinks a couple of times, wondering what exactly just happened. He doesn’t recall a single time in his life where he’s felt this powerful, this high on the emotions of his heart that he loses sight of everything else. He looks around and finds some people still staring, not sure why, but before he can ask, the headmaster’s voice sounds, and he pulls away from Kageyama at last, breathing deeply.

Their headmaster begins his closing speech, talking extensively about the power of magic, the power of love and how it can heal and help things grow, and how good magic comes not from knowledge, but the heart. Shouyou is only half-listening, still in a daze from his dance with his best friend, but he focuses when the headmaster says it’s time for their final spell as college students - a spell they perform every year to ensure good fortune for the townspeople that have been helping and supporting them all this time.

All the graduating students huddle close together on the dance floor, and as they begin chanting the simple spell, Shouyou joins in, voice wavering slightly as he tries to still control his galloping heart. He says the words and then lifts his hands to the ceiling, closing his eyes as he pours out his energy for the town’s benefit; he doesn’t need to look to know there’s a string of magic floating towards the ceiling and beyond, along with many others of varying colors and density that flow from his colleague’s hands.

Suddenly, he feels something warm over his right hand and opens his eyes in confusion, gasping as he sees Kageyama’s hand gently cupping his, fingers curled inwards as he holds it up. He notices the color of his magic change until its emerald green and looks more like a ribbon than a string, floating faster than before[.](http://www.apple.com)

“Hey, Hinata,” Kageyama whispers from beside him, and the shorter wants to see how his eyes reflect the emerald tone of their magic as it flows together, but finds he can’t look away; he hums an acknowledgement of his calling, however. “I’m in love with you.”

Shouyou looks away from the magic then, eyes wide in surprise and wonder as he looks at his best friend’s face. His heart’s racing inside his chest, loud as it tries to break out of its cage, and when Kageyama turns his eyes to look down at Shouyou, he finds honesty and something else, more vulnerable, in them. They still look beautiful, glowing with a slight green tint, the color deepening into the same emerald tone flowing from both their hands when Shouyou smiles wide up at him, giddy that his feelings are reciprocated.

His heart soars as he realizes his love is not being rejected, that he is wanted and loved in return, and his emotions are so strong, his magic explodes all over the place. The room is covered in an emerald hue as the ribbons of magic flowing from his and Kageyama’s hands become stronger, faster, larger; they flow not only upwards, but dripping like falling stars all around the people in the room. There’s gasps of surprise and wonder, but Shouyou doesn’t care. He’s got something more important to do.

Without an ounce of hesitation, he tugs Kageyama closer by their joined hands and leans up on his tip toes until the tip of his nose meets Kageyama’s. He pauses for a second, simply to enjoy the feeling of getting to be so close, but he doesn’t have enough self-restraint to hold out for longer than a couple of a seconds; he moves swiftly, twisting his face into a better position and then his lips are on Kageyama’s, soft and tentative as the two share their first kiss.

The headmaster calls for the end of the spell and Shouyou simply drops his hand to Kageyama’s cheek, cradling it and pouring his magic into him, feeling the warmth of his best friend’s magic being offered to him in return, where their lips are joined. It’s an exhilarating feeling, making his head spin with giddiness even when he pulls back, opening his eyes to watch Kageyama’s still glowing irises.

“Yeah?” He says, to his best friend’s earlier words, earning a small nod in reply. “Good, ‘cause I’m in love with you too,” he continues, and it feels so, so good to let the words out that he giggles right after. “Gods, I’m so in love with you, Tobio.” It’s his first time saying the other’s given name, and he feels Kageyama shiver in his arms.

“Mmhm, I know,” Tobio whispers, and he leans down to steal another kiss, just a soft peck, eyes still watching Shouyou affectionately. “You’re not exactly hard to read, Shou,” he continues, the teasing tone he usually wears when poking fun at the shorter still present, although it is mixed with a loving one. “I’ve been trying to confess to you for years, but you always evaded me whenever I tried.”

“What?!” Shouyou’s shock is obvious, and he pulls back in surprise. “When?!”

“The last time’s when you suggested we came to this thing together,” Kageyama states, shrugging one of his shoulders as he lifts a hand to Shouyou’s cheek, using his knuckles to caress the soft skin. “Before that, it was on Valentine’s Day. Before that, Christmas; then, my birthday. And random days in between,” he confesses, unable to hold back a snort of laughter at Shouyou’s pained expression. “It’s fine, you’re a little dense, but I love you like that,” he teases, and when Shouyou regains his senses he gently punches the taller’s shoulder.

“That’s not fair! I’ve been suffering this whole time,” Shouyou pouts, and as Tobio laughs and pulls him into his arms, he decides to sulk later; he wants to enjoy every moment with the man he loves, now. “Whatever, doesn’t matter, we’re together now,” he mumbles against Kageyama’s shirt, before looking up at him. “Right?”

“Right.”

Before they get too lost in each other again, the students are ushered out of the gymnasium to go enjoy the festival at their leisure, and Shouyou and Tobio follow after the rest of the crowd, hands joined between them as they talk as if nothing’s changed. At the end of the day, nothing really did - even when they didn’t say it, they already loved each other so deeply, it was a part of their souls, reflecting in how well their magic worked together ever since they were young; most of their time has always been spent in the other’s company already, and their dreams were down similar paths to follow.

As the two reach the outside, Shouyou gasps as he looks up at the sky - the moon is out in its full glory, shining brightly, but that’s not what steals his breath. All over the sky, he can see what appears to be a smoke trail of green, shimmering and curving in itself to create long streaks of iridescent light. He knows there are places in the world where these things happen naturally, although he doesn’t know the name of it; still, the color is so familiar, he’s sure these were achieved with magic.

“Did we... did we do that?” He asks, voice small as he stares up at the magic that seems to spread much farther than his eyes can see.

“Uh. I think so,” Tobio replies, hand squeezing Shouyou’s gently; the shorter doesn’t have to look at his best friend to know he’s smiling, he can hear it on his voice, but he looks anyway, eager to catch another one of his soft, genuine grins. “It’s kinda neat, huh?”

Shouyou’s golden irises focus on his best friend’s face, taking in everything he can of this moment. He wonders why he’s spent so long loving the moon when he had his own beacon of light right next to him all along, calling for him to come home; why he was so afraid of following its calling, when he knows Kageyama would never let him down. As he watches the remains of their magic shimmer in the reflection of Tobio’s eyes, casting a green glow on his skin and making him look almost ethereal amidst the crowd, he can’t help but agree with his earlier statement.

“Yeah, yeah it is.”


	4. April Winds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It’s been three years since he last saw Tobio, going off to chase his own dreams while his best friend stayed behind to chase his. That night with emerald glow happened almost five years before today, and Shouyou can still remember the warmth of that first kiss, of their magic showering over them, over the entire town. He thinks on the many nights they shared after that, the whispers in the dark, the hours spent looking at the moon and promising to always be together, in the end._

One would think that, after such a beautiful moment shared between two lovers, life would’ve taken it easy on them and given them their happy ending... but life is never quite like a fairy tale, no matter how many “once upon a time”s are uttered to young children, when retelling that fateful night.

Shouyou knows this, but he still hopes for his happy ending.

It’s been three years since he last saw Tobio, going off to chase his own dreams while his best friend stayed behind to chase his. That night with emerald glow happened almost five years before today, and Shouyou can still remember the warmth of that first kiss, of their magic showering over them, over the entire town. He thinks on the many nights they shared after that, the whispers in the dark, the hours spent looking at the moon and promising to always be together, in the end.

Sometimes, he wishes he could live trapped inside that one summer night.

It’s April now, and the sky over Miyagi is overcast with fluffy white clouds that provide shade from the sun’s strong rays of light. The weather is cool, a soft breeze ruffling Shouyou’s hair as he stands on the same bridge he’s always found himself at, whenever his heart ached a little too strongly in its emptiness, back when he was younger. It’s the first place he’s visited since arriving back in town, that morning; he hasn’t gone to see his family, find his old friends or see if his favorite restaurant is still open and running business as usual.

He hasn’t told anyone he’s returned, except for his ex-boyfriend, but he hasn’t told him where he can be found; he’s not sure he wants to face him, first thing in the morning. Despite still chasing for his happy ending, Shouyou’s once again scared of what he’ll find when he sees Kageyama. He still remembers the promise they made, sealed with a kiss under a full moon, but he isn’t sure if the other does; and even if he does, he can’t expect him to have waited this long for him to be done dreaming.

Shouyou can’t see the moon so early on in the day, but his eyes, shining brighter under the sunlight’s influence, still look at the sky, to where he guesses it will show up tonight. He no longer wonders what it’s like to fly there, or what it will take for him to touch it in his gentle hands; he hasn’t fulfilled any of those wishes, but some dreams are better left as just that. Instead, he’s spent the past three years traveling, using his magic to help others wherever he lands. He’s spent two years in Brazil, teaching the younger children with magic how to control it, and another year going from place to place, going wherever he was needed to give back to a world that blessed him with such beautiful things.

Closing his eyes, Shouyou lifts both of his hands, palm up, and whispers a soft incantation he’s learned along his years of practicing magic. He doesn’t look at the small bird he conjures, doesn’t have to; he knows the image of the small crow like the back of his hand, his companion on his lonely trips across the world, his only friend when he found himself alone, even when surrounded by everyone else. When he feels the weight of the bird on his left hand, he lifts his right one and gently strokes its black feathers, and finally opens his eyes to watch the animal as it chirps quietly, happily, in his hold.

“What’s its name?”

The familiar voice startles Shouyou, but he doesn’t show it; his eyes remain focused on the small animal in his hand, the tip of his finger still feeling over the softness of its shiny feathers. He can’t help the amused smile on his lips, however, as he realizes he was stupid to think Kageyama wouldn’t find him here, even without being told. It seems his best friend still knows him better than anyone else, after all.

“I never named him,” he replies in a soft, contained tone. The bird chirps in his hand, jumping about as it peaks up at Shouyou’s face, and the man smiles down at it. “Never needed to,” he explains, sighing softly as he pulls his finger back and, with a snap, the small animal goes up in a soft, golden smoke, fading into nothingness as his magic shimmers into the sky.

“So. You’re back.” Kageyama’s voice is soft, tentative, but Shouyou can hear some of the expectation in it; he can hear the hope trying to break through his chest, weaving itself in his vocal chords.

“I’m back,” he confirms, his eyes staring down at the passing water, one hand grabbing onto the rail as the other reaches down, as if he wants to reach down into the river. “I’ve done all I wanted to do out there,” he continues, and with a flick of his wrist, a flower falls down to the water’s surface. “It’s time to come home.”

Tobio doesn’t reply, not right away, but Shouyou doesn’t expect him to; he knows what he wants, what he hopes can happen for the two of them, but he can’t expect the other to want the same. He allows his oldest friend to digest the words he’s spoken and what they mean, all the while conjuring different flowers he’s seen on his travels and sending them flying towards the river, watching as they all follow the same path. He wonders what people will think if they chance a glance down at the river, if the colorful petals will bring a smile to their faces; he hopes they do, even if they don’t bring one to his own.

The silence stretches on between them, only interrupted by the sounds of the town moving through its day in the distance. Not many people cross this bridge, so there’s no one else to break the quiet, and Shouyou doesn’t dare do it himself. He knows he only has himself to blame for the way things have ended up; he was the one who wanted to break away from his home town and explore, give himself to the world. He knew back then, as he knows now, that his actions would have consequences - this silence is just one of many.

“Welcome home.”

The words are whispered into the wind, and the breeze carries it over Shouyou’s skin, raising goosebumps on his exposed arms. He turns his head to face Tobio at last, the flower he was about to throw into the river gently held between his fingers. He allows himself a moment to take in Kageyama’s beauty, the hard lines of his jaw and the color swimming in his eyes; he notices he’s filled up more, his muscles brought to attention by the tight fit of the white button-up he’s wearing. He can make out the shapes of his thighs as they fill in the black jeans he’s wearing, and he knows the man has grown, a lot, but so has he.

Shouyou’s skin is darker than when he left, a consequence of many days spent under the Brazilian sun, as are the freckles on his cheeks and nose. His orange hair has turned lighter, although it remains just as jarring as it’s ever been. He’s built muscle as well, shown clearly through his sleeveless top, and his calves, which are now as defined as a professional player’s, can be seen as he’s wearing beach shorts, still.

They couldn’t look more different, the two of them - their stature, their height, their wardrobe - and still, Shouyou wants nothing more than to launch himself into Kageyama and cling onto him forever.

“Thanks,” he says, instead of following through with his desire, offering the other his signature grin - wide and bright and everything he doesn’t feel, in that particular moment. “How’ve you been, Kageyama? Are you still teaching?” He asks, choosing to ignore the scowl on the other’s lips as he hears his name; he can’t bare to say his first name, not now, otherwise he’s going to be completely lost.

“I am,” the taller replies, lifting one of his hands to show he’s actually holding a small briefcase. “I was actually on my way to work when I got your message,” he continues, blue eyes flickering to the flower Shouyou’s still holding, before he looks at his face once again. “Do you want to come with me? I’m sure the kids would enjoy your magic.”

“Don’t they like yours?” Shouyou avoids the question by posing one of his own, both because he knows he can’t say no to Kageyama, and also because he’s genuinely curious. His best friend’s magic has always been more technical, which he guesses kids wouldn’t enjoy as much, but it’s also beautiful, and he knows he’s taught Kageyama a few fun spells before he left which are sure to entertain the kids he teaches.

“I haven’t shown them mine.” There’s something tight in the way Tobio replies, and Shouyou squints his eyes as he looks at him, clearly asking for an explanation without saying a word. “I haven’t used magic since you left,” he states, and Shouyou’s breath is knocked out of his chest as his eyes widen in horror. “I tried, but, I don’t know, something wasn’t right. Even the simplest spells ended up exploding back in my face,” he continues, choosing that moment to look away from the shorter’s face. “I stopped trying after a while.”

“I... Kageyama, I’m so sor-.”

“Don’t you dare.” The words are sharp, and Shouyou closes his mouth immediately, especially as Kageyama looks back at him, the scowl on his lips harder than he’s ever seen it. “Don’t apologize. You followed your dreams. I never wanted to be the one to hold you back. I’m not upset, I’m not angry,” he says, even though his expression seems to show the exact opposite. “I didn’t spend all this time waiting for you to come back only to have you regret your time spent chasing your dreams, that’d be the worst thing you could do to me.”

Shouyou’s at a loss for words, bottom lip trembling with an emotion he can’t quite decipher; he’s unsure if he wants to cry because he’s terrified of the thunderous expression on his best friend’s face, or if he’s simply too touched by his words that he can’t hold back the tears. He can see his vision begin to blur and wishes he wasn’t just as emotional as he’s always been, but, despite his growth, his heart is still too big, and too easily connected to his tear ducts.

Before he starts to cry, however, he feels a warm hand over the one he’s holding a flower with, and then he’s being dragged away from the middle of the bridge and towards the main road at the end of it.

“Stop crying, dumbass,” Kageyama grumbles lightly, walking ahead of him, and Shouyou tries really hard to follow his command as he sniffles back more tears, but it’s hard. “The kids are gonna pester you for ages if they see you crying. Just make sure you’re done when we get to the school,” the taller man softens his voice, and Shouyou can only hum in acknowledgement. “Have you gone to see your family yet?”

“N-not yet,” Shouyou replies, breath labored as he takes quick strides to follow Kageyama’s larger steps. “They don’t know I’m back yet,” he explains, lifting his free hand to clean under his eyes, the tears subsiding as he focuses his attention on the new subject. “I only told you. I’m gonna surprise them later, when I know they’re all together.”

“Mmhm. I’m gonna meet Akaashi for lunch, and he said Bokuto was likely to join. Want me to ask him to bring your sister too, and you can surprise them?” Kageyama suggests, and Shouyou stares at the back of his head, confused.

“You- why are you going to lunch with my uncle?”

“We do that sometimes.” When Kageyama doesn’t explain further, Shouyou huffs and pokes his bicep with his free hand, prying for a better explanation. “I have dinner with them sometimes, too. Your uncles noticed how lonely I got when you left, so we’ve been waiting for you together,” he says, and Shouyou’s heart does another painful squeeze inside his chest. “You’ve got a good family, Shou. They love you, and each other, a lot. It’s nice.”

“I think,” Shouyou starts, but hesitates for a moment, pondering his next words; he isn’t sure whether he’s at liberty to say what he wants to say. When his silence stretches for a little too long, Kageyama looks back at him, questioningly, and Shouyou finds he really needs to say the words out loud, in the end. “I think... no, I know. They’re your family too,” he says gently, watching the subtle way his best friend’s eyes widen. “Even if you and I-.”

“We’re here.” Kageyama stops walking abruptly, and Shouyou’s been so focused on thinking his words through he stumbles as he comes to a stop as well, bumping his shoulder into the taller man’s side. Kageyama releases his wrist and instead bring his hand up to his arm in order to steady him on instinct, and his eyes are brought to the soft skin under it, his thumb caressing it. “You’re really tan,” he comments, gaze flickering back to the smaller’s face. “You’ve got freckles.”

“Y-yeah.” Shouyou curses himself for stuttering, but Kageyama’s effect on him is still intoxicating enough to mess with all and any thoughts in his brain. They’re so close, and his hand feels so big and electrifying, and Shouyou’s not sure he can stop his heart from galloping all over his chest. “I spent longer than usual under the sun.” Realizing what he just said is very obvious, he rushes to add, “in Brazil! I spent a while there. It’s really nice.”

“Mhm.” The hum is low and pensive, and if Shouyou didn’t know any better, he’d think Kageyama was doing it on purpose. Alas, the taller man drops his hand instead of trying to get closer, which Shouyou appreciates because he was already finding it hard to breathe, and then straightens his clothes. “You ready to meet the kids?”

“I- sure, but is it really okay for me to be here? I taught a lot of kids down in Brazil but I’m, like, not qualified or anything,” the orange-haired replies, moving his hand to ruffle his hair at the nape, where it’s shorter. “I don’t wanna get you in trouble.”

“Don’t worry, Suga’s pretty lenient,” Kageyama replies as he starts walking towards the school building once more, this time slower, and Shouyou follows.

“Suga, as in our teacher?” Shouyou asks, and the taller nods simply. “Woah! He still teaches? Is he your boss? How is he? Is he still super pretty?” Shouyou’s so excited to hear that their teacher is still around the school he doesn’t notice they’re no longer alone until he hears a tinkling laugh from nearby.

When he turns his head to find the person who’s joined him, he sees Sugawara Koshi, their magic teacher from when they joined kindergarten until they graduated elementary school. He looks just as young as he did when they were in school, his grin kind as he looks with amused eyes at the two of them. Shouyou realizes, belatedly, that he must’ve heard everything he said, and finds enough decency within him to blush at his own comments.

“Sorry for being late, Suga-senpai,” Kageyama says, and Shouyou hears some amusement hidden underneath his professional tone, which only makes him blush further. “Is it okay for me to take Sh- Hinata to my class? I believe the kids would benefit from seeing his magic.”

“Of course,” Suga replies, giving a soft nod before he steps aside from where he’s standing on the doorway. “Just go, they’re getting antsy waiting for you,” he admonishes, and Shouyou wants to apologize on Kageyama’s behalf, since it’s his fault the man is late to work, but before he can, he’s being dragged inside.

He lets Kageyama guide him through the unfamiliar halls, the building having been rebuilt sometime after they’d stopped attending the school. Shouyou looks around in wonder, wanting to become familiar with the place where Kageyama spent most of his time, and when they eventually stop outside a classroom, he can’t help his wide grin as he spots the writing on the door that marks this classroom as Kageyama’s, the name surrounded by small drawings, which he guesses were done by the children inside.

The teacher lets go of his wrist before he opens the door, and Shouyou is surprised as several small children, whom he guesses are around six or seven years old, bounce over to Kageyama immediately, excitedly calling his name as they try to hold onto his legs. He stands back a moment, observing the way his best friend crouches down with a large, sincere smile on his lips, and his arms are full to the brim as the children try to all hug him at once. His heart feels warm all over, but it aches simultaneously, and it’s almost too much for him to handle.

One of the children seems to notice Shouyou as he takes a small step back, ready to escape, and he knows there’s nowhere to run, now. Gulping, he offers a small smile as a little boy with pink hair and large amber eyes ditches Kageyama’s embrace to walk towards him, instead. He looks up in silence, blinking a couple of times with a questioning expression on his face.

“Hi,” Shouyou greets, mimicking Kageyama’s pose as he goes down to the small child’s level. He ponders on whether it’ll be best to introduce himself first or ask for the child’s name, but the little boy seems to have a different idea as his hand reaches out to Shouyou’s, small fingers wrapping themselves around the flower he’s been holding all this time. “Oh! You like this?” He asks with a smile, and when he lets go of the flower, the boy brings it up to his chest, holding it carefully as he nods. “Do you want another?”

Shouyou’s so lost in his small conversation he doesn’t notice Kageyama watching him with a loving smile, or Suga by the door, appreciating the interaction. Instead, he focuses his eyes on the brown of the little boy’s own, lifting his palm and conjuring a new flower to give him. There’s a gasp from some of the other children as the new flower appears, seemingly out of thin air, but Shouyou can’t look away from this little boy. The small child copies his hand’s position, scrunching his face up in thought, and then there’s a smaller version of the flower on his own palm, and Shouyou gasps, grinning wide.

“Woah, that’s so cool!” He looks up to find Kageyama watching him and the tips of his ears become red under the attention. “Kags, did you teach him that?” When the man shakes his head, he looks back down at the child, who’s looking at the the three flowers he’s holding. “What’s your name?”

“... Yuuji.” The young boy doesn’t look up at Shouyou as he whispers his reply, but the orange-haired man doesn’t begrudge him for that. It had taken him years of training to be able to conjure anything substantial in his hands; seeing Yuuji do it so easily is something he can’t quite get over, and he imagines the little boy probably feels the same.

“Well, Yuuji, I’m Shouyou, and I think what you just did is pretty cool,” he states, and at last the little boy looks up, eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“You just did it too,” Yuuji says in a confused tone, glancing down at his hands before he hands the one flower he conjured out for Shouyou to take. “Here. It’s for you.”

“Well, yeah, but I’m old. When I was little, like you, I couldn’t do that,” the older man says, carefully taking the flower he’s offered and, without a second thought, tucking it into his hair, pinned behind his ear.

“You’re still little.” Kageyama’s voice is closer than earlier, and Shouyou looks up to find him standing beside where he’s crouched with Yuuji, a teasing grin on the other’s lips. He pokes his tongue out in response, but says nothing to deny his claim. “Go on to your seat, Itadori-kun, I need to introduce Hinata to the rest of the class.”

Shouyou smiles as the pink-haired boy nods and bounced his way back to his seat amidst his classmates; only once the boy is settled in does Shouyou stand, all his earlier nerves at meeting Kageyama’s class washed away, after interacting with Yuuji. The teacher introduces him to the children and they each introduce themselves in return, and for the rest of the morning, Shouyou is surrounded by excitable kids as he shows them magic like most of them have never seen before.

Once lunchtime rolls around, he bids his farewell as the children go off to their cafeteria; they’ll be back in an hour’s time, but Shouyou is unsure whether or not he’ll be allowed back, considering the fact he’s disrupting their supposed learning period. He turns to Kageyama as soon as the last child has left, his face illuminated by the burning sun as it lands on him through the window, expression full of glee at the fact he got to spend his first morning back with such animated children.

“Oh, they’re so cute!” He gushes, hearing Kageyama snort in amusement as he grabs his cell phone, wallet and keys to take to lunch, leaving his briefcase behind. “And that pink one, Yuuji! I can’t believe he was able to conjure a flower just by watching! Oh, I bet he’ll be great in the future! I hope I get to show him some other spells!”

“Hinata.” The teacher interrupts his rambling, and Shouyou forces his mouth shut, although he pouts when he does. “We’ll be back in an hour, you can teach him a simple spell or two by then. Let’s go eat, we’ve got people waiting,” he says, and as he passes by Shouyou, on his way to the door, he pats the top of his head affectionately, almost as if he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.

Shouyou watches Kageyama stop by the door to wait for him, but he doesn’t move right away; his body is still catching up to that gentle gesture, heart thumping loudly against his ribcage, exploding with emotions he’s been trying not to think about. It seems so easy, to fall back into this loving pattern he’s set with Kageyama, but he doesn’t dare hope for it to be this easy. He knows, after all, that he really doesn’t deserve easy.

He snaps out of his head before the other can call him out on it, though, and walks towards him so they can head towards the coffee shop nearby, where Kageyama’s asked Akaashi to meet him, alongside Bokuto and Natsu. When they reach the building, Shouyou sees his family through the window and positively glows, the golden tone of his magic washing over him as he follows Kageyama inside. He’s spotted right away by Bokuto, whose eyes widen comically before he jumps off his seat and rushes into the smaller’s body, holding him in a tight hug as if he’s afraid he’ll disappear otherwise.

“Shou! You’re back!” Loud and boisterous as ever, Bokuto pulls back just enough to look down at his nephew’s face, grinning so wide his lips seem like they’re about to split apart. “Look at you, all tan and freckled! Why didn’t you tell us you were back? When did you even come back? Have you been eating? You’re-.”

“Kou.” The voice that interrupts is gentle, and Shouyou chuckles as his uncle Bokuto immediately drops him from his hold and steps aside, allowing his other uncle to step forward and embrace him softly, yet full of affection. “Welcome back, Shouyou,” Akaashi says in his ear, the warmth of the love his family has for him washing all over his body and making him tingle, more of his magic shimmering around his form.

“Thanks, uncle Keiji,” Shouyou says in reply, squeezing the dark-haired man in his arms before he lets go to find his sister, whose eyes are shining with unshed tears. “Hey, Natsu,” he greets, and then he’s once again knocked back as the younger Hinata crashes into him, sobbing softly as he holds her close, one of his hands on the back of her head as his other arm wraps all around her. “Don’t cry, it’s okay, your big brother is here.”

“S-stupid,” Natsu sniffles against his shoulder, and Shouyou groans inwardly as he realizes she’s already almost as tall as him, which doesn’t bode well for his future of wanting to remain taller than, at the very least, his younger sister. “Welcome home,” she whispers into his shirt, and he squeezes her slightly in his hold.

“Thanks,” he replies in a gentle tone, before planting a kiss on the side of Natsu’s head, smiling against her unruly orange hair, so alike his own. “Hope you’re ready to have me bothering you every second of every day, now that I’m back. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do on big brother duties,” he teases, and when he feels Natsu pull back he releases her, watching as she wipes her tears with a small amused grin.

“Thought you’d want to spend every second with Tobio,” she mentions, and Shouyou’s heart stops in his chest at the implication; don’t they know they’re no longer together? Do they assume everything will just suddenly be okay between them, simply because he’s back? As much as Shouyou wishes that could happen, he knows it can’t.

And yet, Kageyama doesn’t deny their assumptions.

“He’ll have plenty of time for both of us,” he says, instead of clarifying their situation, and Shouyou feels that foolish spark of hope light up in his chest again, flickering and growing out of his control when he spots the soft smile on Kageyama’s lips. “Can we sit down to eat, now? I have to go back to class soon, and Shou’s coming with, otherwise the kids will probably murder me.”

Kageyama’s words are enough to dispel the tender reunion, and all five of them go back to the table except for Shouyou, who stands back a moment to watch how seamlessly Kageyama fits in with his family, how easily he strikes conversation with his younger sister as if he’s the one she shares blood with. For a socially stunted man, Kageyama sure seems at ease around Shouyou’s uncles, laughing alongside Akaashi when Bokuto tells a particularly bad joke. It feels almost like a dream, to watch everyone he loves so deeply exist together, and Shouyou hopes he never wakes up.

He does move, however, when Kageyama’s azure eyes land on him and he beckons him to sit at his side with a gentle smile. It still feels like he’s not fully awake as Shouyou lets himself fall to the seat on Kageyama’s left, especially when he feels the taller man’s hand fall to his thigh in a comforting gesture Shouyou’s achingly missed. He can’t help the small sound at the back of his throat, as if he’s a touch-deprived puppy who wants affection, but only Kageyama hears him; he can tell, because the hand on his thigh squeezes softly before Shouyou finds it and intertwines his fingers over his best friend’s, and no one else at the table gives them a confused second-glance.

Lunch hour seems to short, Shouyou finds, as he hugs his family goodbye. He’s spent most of their time together retelling his stories of Brazil, of days spent learning a new language just so he could help kids who had no one else; he tells them about his trek through Europe, as well, where he found himself enjoying more food than he could remember the names of, and visiting so many different places that needed him that he didn’t have enough time to talk about them all. Everyone listened attentively, their eyes shining with curiosity so bright, Shouyou forgot to feel embarrassed for talking so much; not that he ever did, but still.

The walk back to school is spent in a comfortable silence, and Shouyou decides not to question the fact Kageyama’s still holding his hand; he’s just selfish enough to not want to pull away, or do anything to break the spell they seem to he under. They only release each other once the children start pouring back into Kageyama’s classroom, and by then they’re both so busy with all their excited calls that they don’t mention the hand-holding.

When the school day comes to an end, Shouyou stands beside Kageyama as parents come to pick up their children; one by one, the kids wave their goodbyes to the two of them, and Shouyou feels warm all over as they seem to devote the same kind of affection they hold for Kageyama to him as well, extending their love and trust towards a man they only just met. One by one, he watches them go with a feeling in his heart so bright he can’t help but glow softly. Once things quieten down, he looks down to find the pink-haired boy who was first to greet him, and spent his day glued to Shouyou’s side, still standing besides Kageyama’s leg.

“Alright,” Kageyama says, his hand falling atop the pink hair of the small boy beside him. “You’ve got everything with you?” Shouyou watches as he looks down at the boy, and when the boy nods and looks back up at Kageyama, he smiles softly. “Okay, wait here with Hinata, okay? I’m going to get my things and we’ll get going.”

Shouyou blinks in confusing as Kageyama doesn’t wait for a reply, instead nudging Yuuji towards him, although he doesn’t need much encouragement, and then he goes back inside. He doesn’t get to spend long looking at Kageyama’s retreating figure, however, because feels a pull on the end of his shirt and has to look down, finding Yuuji with his arms outstretched upwards, asking to be held without saying a single word. He doesn’t hesitate to pick up the small boy in his arms, and that’s when he notices just how small he truly is; in comparison to the other children in class, that is.

“Yuuji, how old are you?” He asks gently, watching as the boy looks down at his hands, before holding one up to Shouyou’s face, all five fingers stretched out. “Five? Woah, you’re so tiny,” he comments, but in reality he’s wondering why exactly he’s been put in a class with children two years older than him. “I was that tiny when I met your teacher, you know? He was really grumpy when he was your age.”

“Shut it, dumba— dummy,” Kageyama interrupts, flicking the back of Shouyou’s head as the shorter snickers. “Let’s go, we’re walking him home.”

“S’not home,” the pink-haired boy mumbles from Shouyou’s arms, but it’s said in such a low volume, he’s sure he wasn’t meant to hear it, so he says nothing.

Shouyou walks alongside Kageyama with Yuuji in his arms, filling the silence by having a one-sided conversation with the small boy; he doesn’t talk much, which Shouyou really doesn’t mind, because he knows he’s listening to his every word anyway, with the way his eyes stare, totally focused, at his face. When they come to a stop, it’s outside the orphanage, and Shouyou’s heart breaks a little as he realizes what this means.

“Okay, time to go,” Kageyama says, gently prying the pink-haired boy from Shouyou’s arms and crouching down with him to place him on the floor. “I’ll be the one picking you up tomorrow morning, okay? We’ll go out for breakfast,” he tells the small child.

Shouyou watches, heart squeezing painfully in his chest, as Kageyama holds little Yuuji’s face in his hands and leans his forehead against the small boy’s; it’s a very familiar gesture to him, a habit passed down in his family to show love, and he feels tears prick at his eyes as he sees Yuuji hold Kageyama’s face in return. He has to look away for a moment, choking on his emotions, but before long he feels a tug at his shirt again and forces himself to smile as he looks down.

“Down,” Yuuji says, and Shouyou knows what’s coming, but still isn’t fully prepared.

Once he’s at the small boy’s level, two tiny hands find his cheeks quickly, squishing the skin ever so slightly as he tugs his head so their foreheads touch. Yuuji doesn’t use any magic with his gesture, but Shouyou isn’t afraid to use his; he gently cups the small boy’s face, and his hands glow a bright golden tone as he releases his energy into him until his skin feels warm under his touch. When he pulls back, Yuuji’s eyes are shimmering green, and his tiny face is full of wonder.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, munchkin,” Shouyou says with a gentle grin, the nickname he’s been pestering his uncle to stop calling him for so long escaping from his lips.

He crosses his arms over his knees as he leans his weight on the balls of his feet as he continues to crouch, watching the small boy walk the distance to the front door, where a woman is waiting, waving her thanks at him and Kageyama, who remain at the end of the driveway. Once Yuuji disappears from sight and the door is closed, Shouyou huffs a shaky breath, feeling like there’s something amiss; he’d enjoyed the presence of the pink-haired kid by his side, and it hurt to know he didn’t have a warm family to go back to, when he seemed to have so much love to give.

“Shou,” Kageyama calls, and the weight of his hand on his head is enough to make the tears he’d been holding back spill down the corners of his eyes. “You damn crybaby,” the taller man says, but there’s no malice in his tone; he sounds affectionate, even.

Shouyou looks up at Kageyama with his bottom lip trembling, and before he can put any distance between them, or rethink his loving gestures, he stands and buries himself into his chest, face pressed against the white shirt he’s wearing. He feels Kageyama’s strong arms wrap around him and shudders slightly, his own arms sneaking around his waist as they ball into fists on his back.

“Suga and I have been looking after him for a while,” Kageyama whispers, knowing the questions in Shouyou’s head before he gets to ask them. “His parents died a while ago. Daichi and Suga would’ve taken him in but they’ve got their hands full already, and I don’t think I could take care of him on my own.” There’s a brief pause, and Shouyou sniffles in the silence. “Was hoping you’d be willing to give it a chance.”

“What?”

“I mean, we don’t have to adopt him straight away. We can just offer to be his foster family, see if it works; if someone else comes along and wants to take him, at least we’ll have given him a loving home, instead of leaving him here,” Kageyama continues, as if he hasn’t heard Shouyou’s question.

“Wait-“ Shouyou tries to interrupt, but he’s ignored once again as Kageyama continues to explain the process of signing up as a foster family, obviously having done all his research. “Wait! Kageyama, what?” He tries once again to question the other’s words but he’s getting nowhere. Huffing, Shouyou pushes back from his arms and stares at the other, wide-eyed; that seems to be enough to stop his rambling. “Kageyama. What do you mean? Us? We... what?”

“Oh. Right.” Kageyama seems to remember, then, the three years that have passed since they broke up; at least, that’s what Shouyou thinks, when he sees him take a step back and bury his hands in his pockets.

He really doesn’t expect Kageyama to pull one of his hands out, however; he doesn’t think Kageyama will be holding a small velvet box donned in black, which he opens with ease between two fingers; he’s never once imagined that Kageyama would hold the box out, showing the small ring that’s tucked inside, a simple silver band with a small two small diamonds, one golden and another black, engraved in its center. Shouyou can see that there’s some words engraved on its inside, but he can’t read them - not only is most of it obscured, but his eyes can’t focus enough.

For a few seconds, his head can’t stop moving as he looks between the ring and Kageyama’s face - he can’t discern much there as the taller man blinks, but he’s not really looking for anything, either; his head is running a mile a second, trying to process what exactly is happening. His mouth keeps opening and closing, and he’s sure he resembles a fish who can’t get enough food in its mouth and has to keep digging for it over the water, but he can’t stop it. He’s about to ask what the hell is going on, if he’s being pranked or not, when Kageyama speaks again.

“Marry me,” he says, and Shouyou sputters as he tries to come up with the words to say; it’s not a question or an order, but a request - Kageyama sounds vulnerable, yet sure of himself, as if he’s afraid of being rejected, but not enough to hold back.

“Kag- Tobio,” Shouyou whines, and now the waterworks are striking once again, and his vision blurs. “What? You... I’ve been gone for three years!” He tries to keep his voice down, but his chest is hurting and every emotion he feels is boiling over as if they’ve been simmering inside him for too long. “I... I left you here with no idea when, or if, I’d be coming back. I didn’t write or call until today. Y-you shouldn’t... you had no reason to wait.”

“We promised,” Tobio says, so easily it makes Shouyou sob lowly for a moment; the sound doesn’t seem to deter him, however. “We promised we’d always be together in the end, that’s all the reason I needed. Whether it was today or in ten years, I’d still ask you to marry me. I can’t just throw away all the years I’ve spent loving you.” Shouyou sobs again, bringing his palms to his eyes as he tries to stop his tears from crashing down any harder. “It’s one thing if you say you don’t love me anymore, I’ll accept that. But I won’t let you reject me just because you think you don’t deserve my love.”

“Stupid.” Shouyou whines low, harshly rubbing his eyes as he puffs his cheeks. “Dumbass. Of course I love you! How could I ever stop?” He exhales, shaking slightly as he lowers his hands, one reaching out to take the small velvet box from his best friend’s hand.

When he’s the one holding the box, he lifts his free hand and removes the finger from its foamy structure, blinking the remains of the tears in his eyes away as he reads the inscription. “Fly”, it reads, and Shouyou feels his fingers tremble. Before he accidentally drops and loses the beautiful piece of jewelry, he holds it out to Kageyama once again.

“You’re supposed to put it on me,” he mumbles, bottom lip jutted out as he watched the other take the ring between his fingers before holding onto Shouyou’s left hand. He feels his eyes water again as the ring slides over his finger until its comfortably settled against his knuckle, a perfect fit; he imagines he had some help with finding his size, although he’s unsure how exactly that was managed. “Oh...” He breathes out in wonder as he looks down at his hand, the glow of his golden magic making the diamonds shine even brighter.

“I’m taking that to mean you’ll marry me,” Tobio says, his voice shaking a little, and Shouyou realizes he never really agreed to it, not in a way his best friend (fiancé? Future husband? Love of his life?) could really understand. He gives a little nod and shines his brightest smile up at the other, watching his expression contort with relief, before he’s smiling too. “Good.”

“To-bi-o,” Shouyou says in a sing-song tone, moving his hand this way and that, watching the sunlight catch on the stones embedded on the silver ring, before he looks up at his husband-to-be. “We’re getting married,” he giggles, and then he’s letting go of all control as he jumps on Tobio, arms wrapping around his neck in an excited embrace as his legs wrap around his waist.

“Oof!” Tobio puffs out a breath as he holds Shouyou by the thighs, keeping him upright and making sure the two of them don’t tumble back onto the ground. “You’re heavy,” he complains, but makes no motion to push him away or put Shouyou down; if anything, his hands squeeze his thighs tighter to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere, especially as he pouts. “I love you, you dumbass.”

“Say it again,” Shouyou begs with a wide smile, his forehead resting against Tobio’s as he looks into his eyes. Carefully, he moves his arms so that he can cradle his best friend’s face in his hands.

“I love you,” the other man whispers, and Shouyou giggles gently as he notices his magic turn emerald green. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” Tobio says, over and over again, until Shouyou shuts him up with a kiss.

Eyes closing into the motion, Shouyou relishes the feeling of Tobio’s lips on his own after all this time. He can tell they’re chapped from the cold weather that’s been plaguing the town, but they still feel just as gentle as they always have, against his. His heart is soaring, flying around his chest until it settles in a content little cocoon made of affection, and Shouyou feels warm all over. As his lips part against Tobio’s, his tongue moves eagerly to taste the other’s mouth, wanting to explore and memorize every sensation he can, in that moment.

When they’re both struggling to breathe, Shouyou pulls back slightly, lips still parted as he tries to catch his breath. His eyes open and he watches Kageyama’s own irises glow that jewel green tone that’s only ever showed up when their magic merges. He can tell he’s glowing as well, the same color pressing against the skin of his fiancé’s cheeks.

“I love you,” Shouyou whispers, just a small reassurance, even though he’s sure he doesn’t need to say it; he knows Tobio can feel it with all the magic he’s receiving from him.

“I know,” Tobio responds in the same tone of voice, full of affection and reverence for the man he’s holding. “Dumbass.


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _She closes her eyes as she pictures a boy with iridescent wings travel through the sky, his hair a bright orange that matches her own; she sees him smile as he lands on the moon, only to find another boy already there, clad in raven and with oceans for eyes. She sees them dance and hears their laughter, the rustle of feet as they move around each other as if they orbit together. It’s a beautiful story, and she’s so lost in it she almost falls asleep completely._

It’s late. Way past the time she should be asleep, comfortably nestled in bed with her pillows and various stuffed animals. The little girl is staring out the window instead, however, her blue eyes shining as she stares at the full moon in the sky. Idly, she thinks about the story her father tells her about the boy who could fly, with his wings made of stars, and wonders if he found something there. She’s never been told how it was when he got to his destination, yet she imagines it’s beautiful, if tonight’s moonlight that’s cast upon their garden is anything to go by.

She hears her bedroom door creak slightly as it’s opened, and turns to face the man peeking his head inside - his midnight hair falls flat down his face, his smile soft as he spots her.

“You should be in bed,” he says, and the little girl pouts ever so slightly as she nods. “Go on, he’ll be here soon,” he says in a gentle tone, a soft promise that makes the young girl beam. “We’ll tell you the story of the boy with stars for wings.”

“Can you tell me what it’s like up there?” She asks, climbing down from an old chest that’s below the window, padding her way over to her bed as her father pulls the covers back.

“Oh, I’m sure daddy’ll be able to tell you all about it,” the man assures, blue eyes glowing into the darkness as he tucks her in.

Just as she’s settled, another person walks into the room, grinning like he’s never felt any emotion besides happiness before; it’s infectious, and she finds herself grinning right back. The young girl watches as her other father sits beside the one already by her side, his orange hair bouncing as he leans his head against the taller’s shoulder.

“You’ve got a big day tomorrow,” the orange-haired one says, voice bubbling with excitement for his little girl. “You sure you up for a story?”

“Mmhm!” Her green eyes light up as her fathers take turns telling the familiar story she’s heard a million times, but never once gets old.

She closes her eyes as she pictures a boy with iridescent wings travel through the sky, his hair a bright orange that matches her own; she sees him smile as he lands on the moon, only to find another boy already there, clad in raven and with oceans for eyes. She sees them dance and hears their laughter, the rustle of feet as they move around each other as if they orbit together. It’s a beautiful story, and she’s so lost in it she almost falls asleep completely.

When her fathers stand up from her bed, she blinks her bleary eyes open for a moment, watching Shouyou ruffle her brother’s hair as the teenager stands by the door; she can see Tobio pause for a second and look at the picture they’ve hung on the wall, with all of their family together, before the room is quietly closed off as the door clicks shut, and she can no longer hear them mumble quietly amongst themselves.

As she drifts off to sleep, she allows the soft emerald shimmers she can see float around the ceiling lull her into a beautiful dream, filled with feathers and the glow of the moon, and the warm feeling of being loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhh this is it! It’s over!  
> I hope your ride through the story was fun and emotional and lovely!  
> Once more, kudos and comments appreciated! Thank you for joining this ride!


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